It’s no secret that women are woefully underrepresented in STEM careers, particularly in the field of technology. Worryingly, the 2019 Annual Population Survey 报告称，IT行业的女性人数持平，仅占劳动力的16%.
As a result, 各组织开始认真对待这一领域的公平竞争环境，并正在实施一些奇妙而多样的举措. Whether it’s creating cultural transformation internally, 为员工设定性别平衡目标，或审查招聘过程中的性别偏见, 科技公司现在比以往任何时候都更努力地吸引和留住女性在科技领域的职位. Similarly at Experis, 我们很自豪，我们已经开发了我们的市场产品，这样我们就可以支持我们的客户解决这个复杂的问题. 我们已经在几个客户中实施了Train2Fit计划，在他们的组织中培训和雇用更多的女性. We offer gender balanced interview panels, 并通过为客户的技术职位提供多样化的候选人来支持他们. Not only this, but we are signatories of the Tech Talent Charter，并通过我们的亲和网络小组实现我们在内部性别多样性方面的目标.
But despite these efforts, progress is slow and the needle isn’t shifting as far as it needs to. Why not?
Because it is a grass roots problem. Because it is a systemic problem. 因为我们的孩子每天都在接受性别刻板印象的熏陶. Maybe not to the same degree as generations before us, but it’s still there, insidious in nature and often imperceptible unless you go looking for it.
I have two daughters, aged 8 and 11. In preparation for this article I asked them both, and their friends too, if they think there are “girl jobs” and “boy jobs”, and if so, what are they? As someone who feels they live in a fairly gender equal household, with a circle of friends who share these values, I was horrified at the results. 被认定的“女孩职业”包括“做衣服”、“当木乃伊”和“老师”。. “男孩工作”被描述为“建筑工人”、“消防员”、“警察”和“发明家”。. So why is this still an issue? A 2012 study found that when it comes to attitudes towards STEM subjects, 父母和其他照顾者的价值观对儿童的影响很大, 这意味着，如果我们希望多样化的技术劳动力成为常态，而不是例外，那么变革真的需要从国内开始.
当然，我们应该解决这个问题——女性和男性在所有行业都应该有平等的机会, and it’s a widely accepted fact that a diverse workforce creates a more profitable business. But perhaps most importantly, 在当今快速发展的技术环境中，每个人都越来越依赖于技术的使用, 我希望我所使用的技术从概念到发布都是由一个不同的团队设计的，他们使用了各自独特的观点，所以每个场景和问题都是预料到的, identified and resolved, making the products I’m using as intelligent and accessible as possible. 当我在浏览社交媒体或为博客文章进行研究时，这是一个非常好的工具, 如果你在看人工智能辅助机器人手术，这可能是生与死的区别, or the use of an algorithm to predict the likelihood of early-stage cancer.
So how can we make a difference at this fundamental level?
Home life tweaks
我们都需要问问自己，在家庭生活的哪些方面，性别刻板印象仍在加强, even if it’s subconsciously? Are the “technical” roles reserved for any men in the house. Are the “nurturing” roles assigned to the women? Find out from your children what their beliefs are, and see if they understand how they’ve come to think of things in such a way. What types of messages are they receiving in the media they’re consuming? 你能试着“挤出”那些强化性别刻板印象的信息，而支持那些挑战现状的信息吗?
Role models and home education
Whether it’s the device your children play on, the game they’re immersed in, the clothes they wear or the bikes they ride, science, technology, engineering and maths have gone into the design and creation of these things. 我们的孩子理解这些科目和我们周围世界之间的联系吗?
The concept of “science capital” 由伦敦国王学院的路易斯·阿彻教授和她的同事开发, 强调了这样一个事实，即更有可能追求STEM职业的孩子是那些父母有兴趣的孩子, hobbies or careers already rooted in STEM fields. As such, 你可以考虑一下如何成为STEM学科的榜样——你有什么相关的经历或兴趣，也许你还没有和你的家人分享? If not, 你有其他的家庭成员或朋友可以给你带来丰富的STEM学科景观吗? 如果做不到这一点，这个领域的女性是鼓舞人心的，可以成为一个榜样?
Make STEM accessible and attractive
如今，有很多方法可以教你的孩子学习STEM科目. I recently subscribed my eldest daughter to a course in Programming for Kids. In our house, 周六早上通常是用来争论YouTube的音量和没有完成作业的. Last Saturday morning however, 直到她从卧室里出来，我才看到她——她洋洋得意地写了一段代码，让老虎在页面上移动. 在谷歌上快速搜索一下，你就能找到无数个免费或廉价的资源，供孩子们使用.
To sum up…
As a Technology Recruiter, 我很幸运能够帮助有才华的专业人士进入STEM教育所能提供的众多职业道路. 但我必须问自己:我是否花了足够的时间告诉我的孩子，他们未来有大量的机会?
So on Ada Lovelace Day, a day which celebrates the fantastic achievements of women in STEM careers, I’m setting the intention, and I hope this article encourages others to do the same, 彻底检查我的孩子们所接触到的社会线索，然后看看我能在哪里创造一个转变，鼓励他们以不同的方式思考传统角色.
Written by Sarah Doyle, Regional Manager, Experis
